Bottom finishing mechanism for two piece paper containers



1967 R. E. BODENDOERFER BOTTOM FINISHING MECHANISM FOR TWO PIECE PAPER CONTAINERS Filed May 12, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. R. E. BODENDOERFER Afmm/EY Jan. 31, 1967 R. E. BODENDOERFER 3301,14

BOTTOM FINISHING MECHANISM FOR TWO PIECE PAPER CONTAINERS Filed May 12, 1964 3 Sheets-5heet 2 INVENTOR.

R. E. BODENDOER'FER Jan. 31, 1967 R. E. BODENDOERFER 3,301,145

BOTTOM FINISHING MECHANISM FOR TWO PIECE PAPER CONTAINERS Filed May 12, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. R. E. BODENDOERFER AffORNEY developed is often detrimental.

United States Patent 3,301,145 BOTTOM FINISHING MECHANISM FOR TWO PIECE PAPER CONTAINERS Raymond E. Bodendoerfer, Brookfield, Wis., assignor to Paper Machinery Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed May 12, 1964, Ser. No. 366,871 7 Claims. (Cl. 9336.5)

This invention relates generally to machines for making two-piece, fiat bottom, paper cups or other containers. More particularly, it relates to the cup bottom finishing station.

In machines of this character, this cup bottom finishing station is one of the most critical, it is subjected to severe use and wear and it is therefore essential that it have a considerable amount of life to assure continued operation of the machine.

At this particular station, a forming roller is moved eccentrically against the axial flange made up of the cup bottom which is interlocked with the side wall of the cup. This roller is forced with consderable pressure against this flange and rotated rapidly so as to definitely form the flange and press it together, smoothing the bottom of the cup into a nicely finished product.

This operation requires high pressures on the various actuating parts as well as high speeds, and the friction The amount of pressure required by the forming roller is greatest at the end of the finishing operation.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a cup bottom forming mechanism of the above type which is highly efiicient in performing the functions for which it was designed. The arrangement and construction is such that an eccentrically shiftable smoothing roller is actuated by a free cylindrical actuating roller which is urged to act through an cfiicient angle of attack against and between two other rollers; one of these other rollers is stationary and constitutes a reaction roller, while the other roller is carried on the slide that supports the smoothing roller. In this manner, the smoothing roller and its slide are urged against the cup flange with extreme operating pressure through an eflicient angle of attack, but with little friction being developed and no appreciable build up of pressure on the actuating parts themselves. In other Words, the roller toggle linkage of the present invention insures the availability of the highest pressure on the cup flange at the time it is needed most, namely, at the end of the finishing or smoothing operation. This high pressure is constantly available but is not needed until the last portion of the cycle, and with the present invention, the force actually required to cause this high pressure remains constant. Stated otherwise, as the smoothing pressure requirement on the flange becomes greater, the forces required to actuate the linkage remains constant.

Thus, the invention provides a rolling toggle actuating mechanism for a cup bottom smoothing roller which is capable of effectively applying extreme smoothing pressure without subjecting the actuating mechanism to excessive pressure or friction on its various parts.

With the above-described toggle linkage having a free cylinder acting between two rollers, as the toggle begins to open and apply maximum pressure to the cup flange, the amount of force required to provide this pressure actually ice decreases. Thus the rolling toggle linkage is particularly eflicient in performing its functions. Furthermore, there is substantially no friction between the cylinder and rollers, the latter simply roll and no sliding contact occurs between the parts.

The mechanism provided by the present invention is eflicient and capable of continued and severe use for long periods of time without malfunction.

These and other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter as this disclosure progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a longitudinal, sectional view through a bottom forming mechanism embodying the present invention, certain parts being shown as broken away or removed for the sake of clarity in the drawings;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in FIGURE 1, the view being partially in section;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view, in section, and taken generally along line 3-3 in FIGURE 1; but on an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view, taken along line 44 in FIGURE 1, but on a reduced scale, and showing the main actuating cam.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings, the supporting frame F is rigidly and fixedly secured to the main frame (not shown) of the entire machine and is located at the station known as the cup forming station at which the partially finished cup C is presented, bottom first, to the bottom forming mechanism M. The cup is presented by being swung by a turret (not shown) into a position in front of the mechanism as shown in FIGURE 1.

The cup includes the tapered side wall 1 and circular bottom 2. The flange 3 of the cup formed by the cup bottom and side Wall must be tightly squeezed together and rolled smooth, thus finishing the cup bottom.

The head H of the mechanism is reciprocated, once for each bottom forming operation, in a direction toward and into contact with the flange 3, and then away from it after the smoothing operation is completed.

The main head H slides in the guideways 4 of the support frame F and is guided therein by its guide rails 5. The distance through which the head reciprocates is short as determined by the eccentricity of the main drive cam 7. Cam 7 is driven by its drive shaft 8 which receives its power from a power source such as an electric motor (not shown) on the main machine. The cam 7 has a cam ,track 9 in its upper surface and a main cam roller 10 fixed to the head is adapted to ride around in this track. As the cam is rotated, the head is forcibly reciprocated as mentioned.

The periphery 11 of the cam 7 also is formed as a cam surface for actuating a second cam follower 12 which is fixed to a slidable actuating block 13. Block 13 is slidably mounted in the head H and has an inclined cam surface 14 which bears against a roller 15 carried on the bell-crank 16. A spring 17 biases the block so that follower 12 always bears against the periphery of the cam 7. Thus as cam 7 rotates it causes the bell crank 16 to swing about its pivot shaft 18 which is mounted in the head. The upper end of the crank 16 is formed as a shifting yoke 19 having a pair of opposed rollers 20 rotata'bly mounted at its free bifurcated end.

Rollers 20 fit within an annular groove 21 of a shifting collar 22 that is journalled by bearings 23 on a shaft 24.

3 Collar 22 can slide axially on shaft 24 within the limits of an adjustable rear stop 25 and a front stop plate 26 and its stop 27 secured to the shaft. A spring loaded plate 28 is provided as an overload device, the springs 29 acting between plates 26 and 28 functioning to prevent an overloading thrust by the bell crank shifting yoke.

An arm 30 is fixed to the head and engages the collar 22 to prevent its rotational drifting.

Shaft 24 iscontinually driven by a shaft 31 fixed to an electric motor 32 that is carried on the head. Shaft 31 has a splined connection 33 with shaft 24 and is driven by the motor shaft v34 keyed therewith. Bearings 35 journal the shaft 31 in the head.

In the front end of the head is mounted a tubular housing 37 which does not rotate but remains rotationally stationary along with the head. Alarge nut 37a threaded on the rear end of housing 37 and bearing against the head holds the housing in assemble-d position in the head. It may reciprocate slightly, as determined by shoulders 38 and 39, with respect to the head for cushioning purposes, and springs 40 are provided for the purpose.

Within the tubular housing 37 is rotatably mounted on anti-friction bearings 41 and 41a a second tubular spindle 45 having an enlarged front end 46. This spindle is splined at 47 to the front end of the shaft 24 and therefore continually rotates therewith. A stop 48 is fixed on the rear end of spindle 45 and draws up the rear bearing 41 tightly against a spacer sleeve 50, thus holding the parts in assembly.

Springs 51 are also provided between spindle 45 and the stop 27 on shaft 24, and act to return shaft 24 to the left (FIGURE 1) after the forming operation.

Slidably mounted within the enlarged front end 46 of the spindle 45 is a slide 53 which has a male die or forming roller 54 rotatably mounted by bearings 55 on its front end. A guide plate 56 is secured by cap bolts 57 to the roller and bears against the inner surface of a female forming die 58. Die 58 has an inclined annular surface 60 which complements and cooperates with an inclined surface 61 of roller 54 and it is between these surfaces that the flange 3 of the cup enters as the head H is pushed into engagement therewith. Because of the bearings 55, the roller 54 need not spin with the shaft 24, spindle 4'5, and carriage 53.

By means now to be described, the rotating roller 54 is laterally shifted from a center position so that the cup flange is squeezed tight-1y between the inclined surfaces 60 and 61 and progressively around the entire cup as the spindle and carriage rotate. The means for shifting the roller to its eccentric, flange pressing position is as follows.

A reaction roller 65 is rotatably mounted in the enlarged front end 46 of the spindle 45 on a fixed shaft 66. Another roller 67 is rotatably mounted by its shaft 68 on the carriage 53. A pair of springs 69 urge the carriage to the center position.

Between the rollers 66 and 67 there is provided a free, cylindrical roller 70 which abuts against these rollers in line-to-line contact. These rollers are all hardened and smoothly finished.

Roller 70' is unsupported and is urged against these rollers by a hardened button 71 carried in 'the end of shaft 24.

When shaft 24 is urged to the right (FIGURE 1) by the bell-crank lever 16, it in turn pushes roller 70 to the right a slight distance, thus urging roller 68 and its associated slide 53 in a radially outward direction. In doing so, the roller 70 also reacts against the fixed roller 65. This arrangement causes a line of force to be applied ahnost directedly in a radial direction against roller 68, thus bringing the forming roller 54 to bear with considerable actuating pressure against the flange of the cup.

Thus, at the time when greater pressure is required to be applied by the smoothing roller 54, the toggle or rollers 65 and 67 have opened up or separated sufficiently so that the force being applied to them by the cylinder 70 is extremely effective and of constant pressure with this increase of pressing pressure of the roller 54.

This smoothing pressure of roller 54 is then evenly applied to the entire flange as the spindle and carriage spin in finishing the cup bottom.

This toggle action between the rollers 65, 68, and 70 is particularly effective in providing high bearing pressures for the roller 54 and without creating excessive pressure or friction on the actuating parts. There is no appreciable frictional force between the cylinder 70 and rollers 65 and 67, but instead they roll in performing their pressure exerting function.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention:

1. Bottom forming mechanism for two-piece containers comprising a stationary female die, a rotatable spindle, a carriage slidingly mounted on said spindle and radially .shiftable with respect to said spindle and rotatable therewith, a male die roller carried on said spindle and radially shiftable therewith for cooperation with said female die in squeezing a cup flange therebetween, a pair of rollers, one rotatably mounted on said carriage and one rotatably mounted on said spindle, a free cylindrical roller located generally between and abutting against said pair of rollers, the distance between the rollers of said pair being less than the diameter of said cylindrical roller, and means for forcing said cylindrical roller tightly against said pair of rollers whereby said carriage is shifted radially to cause said male die to squeeze said cup flange against said female die as it rolls around said flange.

2. Mechanism as defined in claim 1 further characterized in that said means comprises an axially shiftable shaft extending through said spindle and having one end in contact with said cylindrical roller for shifting the latter.

3. Mechanism as set forth in claim 1 including a nonrotatable and reciprocable head, said female die being fixed in said head, and said spindle being rotatably mounted within said head.

4. Mechanism as defined in claim 2 including a bell crank pivotally mounted in said head and having a bifurcated shifting yoke on one end which is engageable with said shaft, and cam means for causing pivoting of said crank to axially shift said shaft and cause actuation of said male die.

5. Mechanism as defined in claim 4', wherein said cam means has a connection with said head for causing reciprocation thereof in timed relationship with said actuation of said male die.

6. In a two-piece container making machine, a reciprocable head mounted on said machine, a non-rotatable female die on said head, a rotatable spindle mounted within said head, a carriage slidingly mounted on said spindle and radially shiftable with respect to said spindle and rotatable therewith, a male die roller carried on said spindle and radially shiftable therewith for cooperation with said female die in squeezing a cup flange therebetween, a pair of rollers, one rotatably mounted on said carriage and one rotatably mounted on said spindle, a free cylindrical roller located generally between and abutting against said pair of rollers, the distance between the rollers of said pair being less than the diameter of said cylindrical roller, an axially shiftahle' shaft extending through said spindle and having one end in contact with said cylindrical roller for shifting the latter tightly against said pair of rollers whereby said carriage isshifted radially to cause said male die to squeeze said cup flange against said female'die as it rolls around said flange, a bell crank pivotally' mounted in said head and having a bifurcated shifting yoke on one end which is engageable' with said shaft, and cam means for causin'gpivoting of said crank to axially shift said shaft and cause actuation of said male die, said cam means having a connection with said head for causing reciprocation thereof in timed relationship with said actuation of said male die.

7. Bottom forming mechanism for two-piece containers comprising a female die, a rotatable spindle, a carriage slidingly mounted on said spindle and radially shiftable with respect to said spindle and rotatable therewith, a male die roller carried on said spindle and radially shiftable therewith for cooperation with said female die in squeezing a cup flange therebetween, a pair of rollers begenerally between and abutting against said pair of rollers, and means for forcing said third roller tightly against said pair of rollers to thereby urge them apart and shift said carriage and male die in a radial direction.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,962,983 6/ 1934 Cooley 93-393 2,842,033 7/1958 Heyman 93-365 2,942,531 6/1960 Loeser et al. 9336.5

BERNARD STICKNEY, Primary Examiner. 

1. BOTTOM FORMING MECHANISM FOR TWO-PIECE CONTAINERS COMPRISING A STATIONARY FEMALE DIE, A ROTATABLE SPINDLE, A CARRIAGE SLIDINGLY MOUNTED ON SAID SPINDLE AND RADIALLY SHIFTABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID SPINDLE AND ROTATABLE THEREWITH, A MALE DIE ROLLER CARRIED ON SAID SPINDLE AND RADIALLY SHIFTABLE THEREWITH FOR COOPERATION WITH SAID FEMALE DIE IN SQUEEZING A CUP FLANGE THEREBETWEEN, A PAIR OF ROLLERS, ONE ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID CARRIAGE AND ONE ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SPINDLE, A FREE CYLINDRICAL ROLLER LOCATED GENERALLY BETWEEN AND ABUTTING AGAINST SAID PAIR OF ROLL- 